Frequently Asked Questions

Coming to the School

What time is my class? Where is it held?

All classes are held in one of our two classrooms at our Rittenhouse location, 127 S. 22nd Street in Philadelphia. Class details can be found on your emailed receipt, or on the Class Calendar. The School is within walking distance of 30th Street Station or Suburban Station. Cabs are plentiful in the neighborhood.

Where do I park?

There are two surface lots close to the School: one at 22nd & Walnut, the other at 24th & Sansom. The Sansom Street lot is a bit less expensive; however, it is further from the School’s classrooms. On-street parking is available, too, along with numerous parking garages nearby.

What's a wine class like?

It’s educational and informative, not to mention fun! This is not an uptight environment. Casual dress is fine. All of our classes incorporate a tasting component, typically seven or eight different samples. The amount of alcohol consumed equates to approximately one glass per hour. Seating is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. The average class holds 20 students, at tables of either two or four.

Is there food served in class?

Food is available in classes when specified in the class description. When food is included in a class, it is not intended as a substitute for a full meal. The food pairings demonstrate how food affects the taste of wine or beer, and vice verse. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate requests for food preferences or food allergies at this time. If the class is a wine, beer or spirits tasting, and you are concerned about drinking on an empty stomach, we recommend having a snack beforehand.

Do you offer cooking classes?

If you see a class labeled “Cooking Class” then it is a cooking demonstration by the School’s Founder and former Executive Chef, Keith Wallace. Keith is also the author of “Corked & Forked: Four Seasons of Eats & Drinks.”

Ticket & Class Information

What is the current schedule?

The current schedule of classes is available on our Class Calendar. It shows both sold out and currently available classes. We typically add classes to our schedule at least two months in advance.

How do I get on a waitlist for a class?

We’d be happy to put you on a waitlist for any class that is currently sold out. Just email us your name, the class and number of seats requested, as well as the best phone number to reach you. There’s no telling if a seat will open up, but we love making someone’s day if it does!

Where is my ticket?

We do not use paper tickets; all of our reservations are made online. Once you complete your purchase and receive an electronic receipt, you are automatically added to the roster for that class. You don’t have to bring a single thing with you. If you would like to transfer your seat to another person, simply inform them of the name the class was purchased under. When the instructor takes roll, they will then check in under your name. Simple!

Cancellation & Rescheduling

The weather is really bad, will my class be cancelled?

We always try to make the best decision under the circumstances, for the utmost concern for the safety of our students and instructors. We provide a minimum of 24 hours notice in the event of a weather-related cancellation. An email will be sent to the address we have on file for the purchaser. A “Weather Notice” will be posted on the bottom of every page of this website. We also make announcements via twitter and facebook . If we cancel a class, we will issue you a gift certificate for the value of the class. This can be used like any other gift certificate, and will never expire.

I cannot attend a class, how do I reschedule or cancel?

If you have selected the Premium option during checkout, you can reschedule using this form. In a few days you will be sent a reschedule code that can be used to sign up for another class. If you do not have the Premium option, the seats cannot be rescheduled under any circumstances. However, you can transfer the tickets to another person.

The reschedule code will never expire, and is usable like a gift certificate on our website.

I am pregnant, what do I do?

A special note if you are expecting: Pregnant women can, and do, attend our classes. Of course, that decision is entirely up to you. If you have purchased premium tickets and would prefer not to attend, it’s no problem to reschedule to a future date. Simply follow our protocol for rescheduling as described on this page.

Gift Certificate Questions

Using a Gift Certificate

To apply a Gift Code, enter the code in the field that asks for a Coupon during the checkout process. The amount of the gift code will be automatically applied. If the gift amount does not cover the full purchase, the balance may be paid using any major credit card or Paypal. The gift certificate may be used multiple times until the balance is zeroed out.

Where is my gift certificate?

Gift Certificates are automatically emailed to you or the gift recipient. We do not mail gift certificates out via post. If you do not want the gift recipient to know about the gift, simply swap your email address for the recipient’s email address when filling out the online form. Make sure to save the Gift Certificate Code in the email, along with the instructions, for the Gift Certificate. We can always assist your gift recipient with booking a class, but it makes it a whole lot easier if they have the basics on hand.

Should I buy a gift certificate or a seat to a class?

We always recommend buying a gift certificate since it allows the recipient to find a class that works for his or her schedule. If you do opt to purchase a class, make sure to pick up a Premium Ticket for their convenience.

Charity, Yelp, Groupon, Living Social, Etc.

If you purchased (or received) a promotional gift certificate from a Charity, Yelp, Groupon, LivingSocial, or any other discount provider, you are bound by the terms and conditions as stated on the discount. Any issues with the discount must be resolved between the provider and the purchaser. The School is not responsible for any problems with such discounts.

Where can I find my Gift Certificate number in the email?

It is an alphanumeric code appearing at the end of the email. An example is below:

Dear Sara, With this gift certificate, you can attend a class at either the Wine School or Philly Beer School.To redeem your gift certificate, visit the Wine School website at www.vinology.com or the Beer School at www.thebeerschool.com and select whatever class you like. When you check out enter your gift certificate code: SV498804826N

Printing a Gift Certificate

You can order a gift certificate and have it sent to you to print it out at a future time on standard-sized paper. The gift certificate looks especially nice when printed in color.

Email and Contacts

I am not receiving emails from the Wine School

Receiving Wine School Emails

If you are unable to receive an email from the Wine School, you will need to add us to your “whitelist”. To do that, please follow the instructions listed below for your personal email account.

For Windows Live and MSN Hotmail users: 1. Go to the “Options” page. 2. Under the “Junk E-mail” section, click on “Safe and blocked senders”. 3. Click on “Safe senders”. 4. In the “Sender or domain to mark as safe:” field, type “@vinology.com”, and click on the “Add to list” button.

For Google Gmail users: 1. Click Contacts along the left side of any page. 2. Click the New Contact button in the top-left corner of the Contact Manager. 3. Type “info@vinology.com” in the “Email” field. 4. Click “Save” to add your contact. For Yahoo! mail users: 1. Click on “Contacts”. 2. Click on “Add Contact”. 3. Type “info@vinology.com” in the “Email” field. 4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on “Save”. For AOL mail users: 1. Click on the drop down arrow to the right of ‘Mail Options’, then click on ‘Address Book’. 2. Click on “Add Contact”. 3. Type “info@vinology.com” in the “Screen Name” block. 4. Click the “Save” button. 5. Do the same for “magazine@epikur.us” and “info@vinology.com” For Microsoft Outlook users: 1. Go to “Tools” and click on “Address Book”. 2. Go to “File” and click on “New Entry”. 3. Select “New Contact” and click on “Ok”. 4. Type “info@vinology.com” in the “Email” field. 5. Click “Save and close”. For Spam Arrest users: 1. Click “Senders”, then select “Add Email Address”. 2. Type in “info@vinology.com” to authorize the change. For Earthlink Web Mail users: 1. Click on “Address Book”. 2. Click on the “Add” button. 3. Type “”info@vinology.com” in the “E-mail” field. 4. Click the “Save” button. For users of other Email Providers: 1. Check to see if you can receive our emails in your Inbox. If yes, there is nothing you need to do. 2. If no, please refer to the ‘Help Files’ in your email account to see how you can “whitelist” our mail server address. 3. You would need to “whitelist” this email addresses: “info@vinology.com”